Robbie Lorraine to head up the kitchen at boutique hotel Boys Hall

Robbie Lorraine has been appointed head chef at Boys Hall in Kent ahead of the hotel restaurant opening this September.

Lorraine was executive chef at workplace catering firm Grazing for five years and launched 1990s and 1980s-inspired restaurant Only Food and Courses at London’s Pop Brixton shipping container development in 2020.

He also appeared as a guest judge on MasterChef: the Professionals and competed on Great British Menu in 2022, representing London and the south east.

Boys Hall is a 17th-century manor house in Ashford that is being relaunched as a boutique hotel by husband and wife Bradley and Kristie Lomas following a restoration.

The restaurant will open in a newly built dining hall in September, serving seasonal snacks, small plates and desserts, which will also be served in the on-site pub.

Lorraine’s menu will be inspired by classic British comfort food, with dishes including lobster doughnuts; cider-braised belly of pork, pork ‘quaver’ with bacon jam, black pudding stuffed with loin grilled leeks, sour cabbage and apple purée.

There will also be a weekly-changing Blind Tasting Menu, consisting of six courses for £75 with diners given the choice of seeing the menu before their meal.

Lorraine said: “I’m super-excited to be joining the team at Boys Hall and working closely with everyone, in particular Bradley and Kristie, who have done a fantastic job of restoring this beautiful building.

“I want the food at Boys Hall to evoke lasting memories for the guests. It’s going to be a real treat moving from a tiny shipping container to having a full team and brand-new kitchen!”

In December Boys Hall will launch 10 ensuite bedrooms, reception rooms and its private dining rooms.